Is it as bad as you all make out? Tell me the fun bits!

[AbouttoCrack]

We are thinking of getting a dog in the summer. My work pattern will change allowing me to be at home more. I have never had a dog before, although I am an 'animal' person. I had DHorse for 18 years, so I do understand all about the importance to animals of the of the right exercise ( even when the weather is shit) , feeding , vets bills, vaccinations, training etc. However, with a horse, all the mess, poo, mud, etc is in a field/stable and they don't come in your house...or howl at night.

I was so looking forward to being a dog owner for the fist time ever, The kids are 10 and 8 and are looking forward to it too. We have a big secure garden and are very rural so I plan on long walks every day.

However. As part of my 'is it for us?' research, I have been looking at the Doghouse thread titles and now I am thinking owning a dog will be a frigging nightmare.

Please reassure me that I will not regret it.

I was thinking about a small to medium, short haired, well proportioned mongrel type...to minimise any inherited health problems. A rescue dog probably.

Well of course it can be bloody soul destroying at times. But we all still love our dogs

Well, we got our first dog 2 years ago, and she is The Love of all our lives! Absolutely priceless, and it's been very easy. Hope you are as fortunate with your first DDog.

We love our whippets - they have really made our family complete.
< soppy emoticon >

It has been fairly straightforward having them. Got them both as pups (a year apart) and apart from eating school shoes and other random objects and pooing in the house when the weather is bad it has all been lovely.

...but all i seem to read on here is that it will crap all over my house, pee all over my carpets, puke, kill the neigbours cat, bite the kids and keep me awake all night.

Is this all really as common as it seems on here?..or are these rare things?

Nobody I know in real life moans about their dogs like this...(although my SIL did get rid of their rescue greyound for some of the reasons above.)

I'm just in from a horrible muddy walk in heavy rain but you will be used to that having had horses anyway!

The difference I think is that the dog lives with you so you don't worry as much about a horse. I used to worry driving away from the yard that anything could happen in the night and no-one would know, dogs are a massive part of your life and whilst that's good in many ways you obviously have to plan a lot for when you might be out or away.

We only got our dog two years ago and he is absolutely wonderful and such a fantastic addition to our family, I cannot imagine life without him now.

Some of the stories on here are awful and no doubt dreadful things do happen to the unwary (or even wary) but most people I know, including myself generally have a lovely, event free life with their dogs.

I think their needs are pretty simple, warmth, company and exercise really, good diet and the odd bone. Plenty of love and some training to give you peace of mind.

I did freak out a bit in the first week or so or having him, the responsibility overwhelmed me and so it should in a way or else you aren't taking it seriously enough. I soon got over that and actually the Doghouse was extremely helpful when I was in panic mode!

Good luck!

Sorry I meant you worry less about a dog than a horse as you can see how they are all the time. Plus I find you don't have to be as rigid with routine as you do a horse, I can walk him whenever fits in with me rather than having to feed them at 8am and 5pm etc.

ChinUpBeagle is a little bastard at times, but when he's asleep on the sofa, flat on his back with his paws in the air, DH and I smile fondly at each other and forget ChinUpBeagle's total inability with recall.

There's zillions of good things about owning a dog, but don't forget that the doghouse is where we go to ask for help/moan about DDog's behaviour or problems. Chances are you'll only see the worst of it!

Most important thing (after good health) is the dog's temperament. If you're getting a rescue, make sure you have a good chat with the rescue centre's staff on what the dog is like with children/car/other animals etc. And make sure your DC are going to be happy with the kind of dog you get - no point getting a big bouncy dog if they'd rather have a little quiet dog instead.

Good luck!

We have two rescue boxers who were a nightmare when we got them.

They are now really well behaved totally lazy at home, play well in the garden, play well with children and visitors and love a good romp round the house playing 'find her/him' while one of us hides under the duvet.

We have decided, due to our age, that these will be out last dogs and whilst I know its the right decision I can't imagine what life will be like without them.

Nah. No one posts here just to say what's going right, we come here to get help when it's all gone tits up Some of us have dogs with behavioural issues so post a lot (), but no doubt there are loads of MNers who don't post here at all because their dogs are just fun, loving additions to their lives. Things I love? Saturday morning lie ins with a cup of tea and a snuggly puppy to cuddle. Long walks through the woods. Someone is always delighted to see you. Watching the DC play with them and DS (13) whispering 'You're my best friend' in the spaniel's ear. Mostly, I love having dogs.

Yes, with horses, routine is important... and yes, I do mud and rain. I was sort of assuming that you would need to have a regular feed/ walk routine with a dog to make sure they are on a walk when they need poo? Is that off the mark then? Different for a puppy I guess.

I was thinking of some sort of lab/skinny dog cross. Lab /whippet? Would that be a good cross? Do people engineer the cross they want? Is it OK, or frowned upon?

bugger - school run beckons. - back later!

Our dog is our first ever, we've had him just over a year. I can't imagine life without him now. I've had the mother of all bad days, have come home and am now sitting on the sofa with him snuggled into me, head in my lap and I'm thinking the world isn't so bad after all

i don't currently have a dog, my aunt however has had them all her life and hers are very well cared for and she gets loads out of them. looking at this from the outside i think the key to success is (rather like children) investing time in them, she takes them to training classes, continues this at home, takes them out lots and doesn't leave them alone much. i think from watching friends the most destructive dogs are the ones who the owners think won't change their lives (again like children)

Our current dog who is now almost 1 has been a delight from day 1 - very occasional puddles/poos in the house while we sorted the house training, but by 3.5 months he was almost 100% clean. He will walk as far as I want, he never runs off, if I'm having a lazy day we just go to the local park and throw a ball for 20 mins. He's curled up next to me now on the sofa after a good walk in the rain!
Incidentally he's a Portuguese Water Dog but I think it's more luck than his breed. Also (and having had a horse will probably help with this) you need to make sure he knows the basic rules of the house from as early as possible and be super consistent, but as our dog's breeder said to me, if you can keep half a ton of horse in check, you will be fine!

DDog Doesn't pooh/wee indoors; has never eaten a cat( though I suspect she wouldn't say no if it was offered); hasn't bitten any children
She is a collie cross possibly whippet which would make her a 'wollie' which is quite fitting. Doesn't seem to have the collie brain . She is a gentle soul and I wouldn't swap her for the world, neither would DH and dc.
Get one, get one, get one...
P.s forgot to say she ate several cushions as a puppy and most of the way through a table leg.....

I could wax at length about some of the downsides, but the upsides are better. Dogs are great companions, always pleased to see you, funny, loyal and loving. They are unjudgemental and highly forgiving! Properly trained and well looked after dogs don't tend to go round biting kids or pooing in the house.
You've always got a pal on hand if you want a walk, or a cuddle, crumbs on the floor vanish in seconds and very little in life is nicer to see than a happy dog running on a beach or in the snow.

redcar has it spot on. Dogs (like kids) are what you make them. If you invest, time, energy, love and commitment into them, you will forever reap the reward. leave them at home all day and don't train them etc, you will forever reap the reward

I am on dog 2, dog1 is 15 months, dog2 is a 9 week old puppy. The puppy stage is hard work but joyous too and it doesn't last long.

Don't mention the mud though, I am having a 'bad mud day'!

ps - we have a pony too, no they don't come into the house, but the hair (white) and straw manage to somehow.......

Yes, mud is bad at the moment. We inherited two dogs last year when FIL died suddenly, and even with all the hoovering, mud etc, they are great fun. Really made our beach holiday in Ireland last year with dogs paddling and swimming with us, mooching about on the beach and generally being gorgeous (and I say this as somebody who was never a 'dog person' before)

If I post on here it's usually to try & help someone with a problem or just to give a bit of support cos, apart from my littlest of a different breed, my lot are a hardy bunch of terriers. Of the ones I have now, only one has needed the vet once for a problem ( a limp wrongly diagnosed by her as a growing plate problem which I found out myself was actually a damaged toe nail that had got a bit of infection in & I treated myself )
Apart from that they've only ever seen the vet once a year for boosters. I've had the breed for over 30 years & virtually all of them have lived to around 18 only ever visiting the vet for boosters, despite travelling all over the country & mixing with all sorts at shows. The reason why, for me personally, I don't bother with pet insurance except for young puppies going to new homes & that's just for the buyer's peace of mind. So it's not all doom & gloom

The good things? The fun, the company, the welcome home like no other, they don't turn overnight into stroppy teenagers who think you know nothing, the cuddles, the love.......just everything!
And if that's not enough, they keep you fit, make you laugh & are the best reason ever to get out of bed in the morning not like they'd let you lie in anyway

As other people have said, the Doghouse is very good for a rant, to cheer up when you're down, covered in mud, dog ran off and other such events! So, you may see loads of "bad" stuff but that's just because we all tend to dwell on the negative rather than the positive and, of course, if all is well there's not so much to say :)

It's great you're thinking of a rescue, I think it's possible to find wonderful dogs if you go to good rescues, look for one which has had the dog in a foster home, and will give you good backup (like a reliable, recommended behaviourist on tap). You may never need anything but I think it shows that the rescue is not going to run away/distance themselves from you when you may need advice.

Where are you in the UK? Lots of peeps in the Doghouse work in rescue and will be able to recommend ones close to you. Good luck!

The thing is...they might go to the toilet in the house, especially when young or old, they probably will puke at some point and there may well be times that you lose sleep - but the same is true of children and dogs are easier than them.

They're not that likely to eat cats or children - it happens, but it's not something most owners have to deal with.

There are loads of good points, they're fun, affectionate, handy for cleaning up spilled food, lol.

As far as picking a cross for health reasons - crosses can get any health problem from parent breeds, a lab cross can have the joint problems that labs are prone to, if the other breed carries the same inherited problems labs can get then they're just as likely to get them as any lab from untested parents.

There are a couple of things not likely to be an issue with a cross, but it just depends on what it is crossed with.

If you're looking at rescues then there's really no point in being massively specific about breed just to minimise health problems, it won't make much difference. All that really matters is whether its a dog that will suit you and whether its healthy right now.

Im in S Oxon. I'm not super fussy about a particular cross but would rather have a short haired medium sized dog. I guess the more of a mongrel you have the fewer genetic health issues you will suffer. Obviously i am prepared to deal with house training accidents , some ailments along the way and for the dogs to become infirm and smelly in old age. Yes, i am also used to a house/ car full of horse hair and yard crap. My doormat was always covers in shavings and believe me - I know all about vets fees and the importance of insurance. Although I cancelled my horses vets fees insurance a couple of years before she died (last year)when it got to a stage that so many things were excluded from the policy it wasn't worth having.
I'm aiming to have the school summer hols off this year and then looking for a low part time hours job. I reckon to be ready to bring a dog home in say June/ July. So I would want v to start looking a few weeks before I guess.
You've all enthused me. Am now checking out dog rescue dog.

My minature schnauzer was house trained reliably within two weeks as have the other two dogs I have had in the past. Crate train through the chewing stages etc. Honestly I don't recognise the difficulties often described on here and I have had a few dogs. Just get on with it and have sensible expectations is my advice, they give so much more than they take. Smaller dogs are much easier too.

I think you need to fo lots of research, reading about breeds etc.

We got a lurcher pup only 3 weeks ago. We wanted a lurcher, as they need reasonable exercise, but not too much at all, are easygoing, generally softies and good with kids, big but "fold up small" and aren't bouncy or barky.

On the down side, recall can be hard when they go into hunting mode, they might kill a rabbit or cat. They can be very sensitive though, and ours will look all hurt if told off, and be very very sad...

Yes, Our lurcher bitch is a big old soppy thing, loves company and mainly just crashes out next to the heating!

My boys are 8 and 11 and adore her, and play in the garden with her with balls and (oddly?) plastic flower pots. Then all settle in front of telly.

I am a novice dog owner, but our first 3 weeks with her have been fab, she settled quickly into routine and doesn't cry at night ( she is 6 months)

Have heard lurchers are tough once they hit adolescence, so watch this space!

Go for it!